


Day 271

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [271]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26707546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [271]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 271

Nalanna looked over the templar reports from the raid. Four templars hadn’t reported back and were presumed dead, but several maleficar had been eliminated and another two were taken alive. More importantly for Nalanna’s purposes, a few dozen books and scrolls were confiscated from the mages who had been at the meeting. The templars had taken possession of the contraband and had destroyed the volumes they deemed ‘too dangerous’ but now Nalanna and Maddox were cataloging the rest. 

There were no instructional manuals on blood magic, those would certainly have been destroyed. There were a few catalogues of lost dwarven/tevinter projects. Those might contain clues that would help with the red lyrium research and Maddox set them aside to be taken to his lab. There were some that were from the first years of the First Blight. Nalanna marked them so she could come back to them later. There was a chance they might have information pertaining to Corypheus.

Once that was done Nalanna went to check on Emile, who was meant to be studying in his room. As usual, she found him with his books stacked on the nightstand, lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. He had taken very little initiative in personalizing his living quarters since moving in. Outlandish modifications were discouraged but many mages would hang artwork or request a personal collection of books from the duplicates in the Circle library. Some even had stations where they could work on magic rings belts or necklaces that they could display when not in use. 

“Have you made much progress in your studies,” she asked. The boy looked up at her and smiled. Whatever aversion to tranquil he had once harbored, it seemed he was getting over it.

“These books are very hard to read,” he said. Nalanna had not found any difficulty with those particular texts but had learned the Emile’s capabilities were different from hers.

“Whoever wrote them,” he continued, “wrote in very small letters. I try to read them but I get exhausted after a few pages. When I was an apprentice I had tutors to read to me. It was much easier then. But I am told that now that I have passed my Harrowing, no one can be spared for that anymore. I am doing my best but I fear I will never fully understand this research.”

This was the moment Nalanna had been building towards, the reason she had chosen Emile.

“There is a mage who might be willing to help,” she said, taking a seat on the bed next to Emile. “Did you know the elf Huon?” Email shook his head: meaning he had not. 

“He was confined to solitary confinement earlier this year,” Nalanna explained. “He was also interested in the experiments in Amgarrok. If he were released, perhaps he might be willing to work with you on the research.”

“I don’t know what I can do to get him released,” Emil said. “I break out into a cold sweat if a templar looks at me funny, I could never make such a bold request.”

“And I would not ask it of you,” Nalanna replied. “But if the request were to come from your father...”

Emile immediately perked up.

“Yes,” he said. “Father is always telling me how I should apply myself more and that if I’m to live in the Circle all my life, that I should at least make something of myself. If I tell him that I’m working on something that will benefit the city and need a favor he will leap at the chance.”

Emile went over to his desk and immediately started writing a letter. Nalanna wondered how he was allowed to send mail to his family when none of the other mages or tranquil were. It might be possible to get a message to the Wardens that way, but it would be prudent to wait and see how secure the process was before attempting anything. Likely the templars would read the letter first and if Nalanna’s intentions were uncovered it could lead to a failure of her mission.

She left Emile to write his letter and returned to Maddox to assist him with his research. In her time in the Kirkwall Circle, Nalanna had interviewed every one of the Starkhaven mages to learn why their escape had failed. They had, after all, destroyed their phylacteries in the escape and even had assistance from Lord Hawke. The two most common causes of failure were a lack of a suitable hiding place. If Nalanna reached the Wardens that would not be an issue. She would be in the records as a member of the organization. The second reason was lack of patience, though most mages made other excuses to explain their rash actions. Nalanna remembered struggling with that virtue herself, before her capture. One large benefit of tranquility was that she now found herself with endless patience. She would be free, not matter how long it took.


End file.
